CLEVELAND – Five Bethune-Cookman Football student-athletes have been named to the Phil Steele Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) End-Of-Season Team announced Wednesday, Dec. 13, by the publications annual end-of-season awards for all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences across the 2023 season.
 
After finishing the season with an additional win from the 2022 season under first-year head coach Raymond Woodie Jr., the Wildcats used four players on the defensive side of the ball to be named on this year's Phil Steele All-SWAC Team, as well as one on the special teams side of the ball. Omari Hill-Robinson was named to the First Team (Defense); Eddie Walls was on the Second Team (Defense); Dearis Thomas was named to the Third Team (Defense); and Conroy Cunningham II was on the Fourth Team (Defense). Additionally, Clayton Thomas Jr. earned his way onto the Second Team for Special Teams.
 
Omari Hill-Robinson, a 5-foot-10 senior cornerback from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, finished the 2023 campaign tied atop the SWAC stats rankings with four interceptions, going on to finish tied for eighth in pass deflections (10). He collected interceptions against preseason league-favorites Jackson State, as well as Southern (La.), Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M, respectively. He also finished fourth on his team in solo tackles with 26, adding seven assisted tackles for 33 total tackles altogether. Hill-Robinson also added a 77-yard fumble return touchdown on October 28 versus Grambling State to pull the Wildcats to within a score.
 
Eddie Walls is earning his first Phil Steele end-of-season recognition after the 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore defensive lineman from Fort Myers, Florida finished the season sixth in the SWAC with 14.5 tackles for loss – and third overall on the BCU squad with 45 total tackles. He would go on to add four quarterback sacks and finish among the top 20 in the league for that department. Of his 48 tackles, 17 came by way of a solo performance.
 
Making his way onto the third team for defense is sophomore linebacker Dearis Thomas from Naples, Florida. The Naples High alum led the Cats with 97 tackles on the season, ranking him 33rd nationally and sixth in the SWAC for total tackles through the regular season. Thomas brought in a team-high 51 solo stops, while also contributing 12.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He also produced three quarterback hurries across the campaign.
 
Rounding out the BCU players on the defensive side of the ball and earning a spot on the fourth team is Conroy Cunningham II. Cunningham, a 6-foot-3 senior defensive lineman from West Palm Beach, Florida, finished the season sixth on the Wildcats squad with 37 total tackles, as well as producing seven tackles for loss. Of those tackles for loss, Cunningham would tally 3.5 quarterback sacks.
 
Rounding out the Wildcats on the Phil Steele All-SWAC Team is Clayton Thomas Jr. on the second team for special teams. The 6-foot-2 redshirt sophomore long snapper from Jacksonville, Florida was a solid special teamer all season, snapping for a Wildcats team that punted the third-most times in the conference in 2023. Thomas Jr. played in all 11 games, also snapping for kicker Cade Hechter, who converted on seven field goals for the Maroon and Gold on the season. Thomas also went on to record a solo tackle on special teams.
 
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